No stopping Aldi
The latest grocery share figures from Kantar Worldpanel, published today for the 12 weeks ending 13 October 2013, show a further step in the remarkable rise of Aldi. Its latest market share of 3.8% is yet another all-time record and is a sharp increase compared with 3.0% this time last year.
Edward Garner, director at Kantar Worldpanel, comments: “Aldi’s year-on-year growth rate of 31.7% is the latest in an unbroken series of double-digit growth figures that date back to early 2011. The retailer has done a particularly good job in conveying its competitive pricing message through its ‘Like Brands Only Cheaper’ and subsequent ‘Swap and Save’ campaigns – both of which have given the supermarket a clear point of difference.
“Lidl’s growth of 13.1% is somewhat overshadowed by Aldi’s performance but it nevertheless keeps up a strong run. The combined discounter share of 6.8% continues to grow and has remained above that of the Co-operative since March this year.”
The only grocers to resist pressure from the discounters are Sainsbury’s and Waitrose which have outperformed the market with growth of 3.7% and 7.6% respectively. Elsewhere, the polarisation of the grocery market and subsequent pressure on the middle-ground continues unabated, with Tesco, Asda and Morrisons all recording growth behind the 3.0% market average.
Iceland’s share is static at 2.0% this period despite growth dipping below the market average. Its position is likely to strengthen in the run-up to Christmas when it traditionally performs as a result of its frozen party food offering.
An update on inflation
Grocery inflation remains at 4.2%* for the 12 week period ending 13 October 2013. This exceeds the overall grocery market growth of 3.0% and implies increased pressure on households to manage down their ‘personal inflation’ by seeking lower prices.
* This figure is based on over 75,000 identical products compared year-on-year in the proportions purchased by British shoppers and therefore represents the most authoritative figure currently available. It is a ‘pure’ inflation measure in that shopping behaviour is held constant between the two comparison periods – shoppers are likely to achieve a lower personal inflation rate if they trade down or seek out more offers.
The figures referenced in this news story relate to data as published at the time. Kantar Worldpanel data is periodically reworked to reflect improved methodology. This may result in some minor restatement of historical grocer shares.